Teaching Ideas & Best Practices

1. Accomodation - Wearing a microphone and using a hand held for students and a speaker for a student with hearing challenge. Also close proximity and lots of checking for understanding.
2. Motivation - Points system for behaviour challenged students. "Catch ‘em being good", give out a tix, star, or sticker. Could have a prize box (from dollar store) when goal is achieved or on Friday have a draw of names (from the tix given out that week.) More tix, more chance to win but you can still limit the prizes.
3. Assessment - Keeping a separate binder for marks and student work. Then at night while at home I record on a class list the work grades, whether they finished or not etc.
4. Accomodation - A language challenged student was allowed to draw pix to show her answers to questions whenever possible.
5. Accomodation - (More for the daily routine than lesson accommodations. 1. A visual schedule so he knows what is happening today. 2. Allowed to sit on a chair at carpet time. 3. Uses a stress ball to keep his hands busy and pay better attention. 4 Do his spelling test at the back of room using movable letters rather than writing them.
6. Motivation & Management - "Who wants to be a Millionaire Lifelines" Randomly call on any student, not just those with hand up. Gets everyone thinking and paying attention. If someone doesn't know the answer they can "Phone a Friend" or Ask the Audience" We always go back to the original student to see what their answer is after this helping from the class.
7. Best Practice - using manipulatives in Math whenever possible. In the FOSNOT Math kit for example they have math racks. These help with counting and seeing different combos of numbers (1+6; 2+5; 3+4; 4+3; 5+2; 6+1 all give us 7)
8. Accomodation - Notes that were written on the board to be copied by students were put on a paper right in front of a special student to copy; less distraction. Extra time to complete as well.
9. Best Practice - Pumpkin Unit. Lifecycle of a pumpkin booklet; pumpkin story; media www.starfall.com to show virtual pumpkin carving; pumpkin books to gain more background (ELL); pumpkin carving safety; grade 7's (reading buddies) came to help with carving; tasted pumpkin pie and pumpkin seeds 9using all our senses).
10. Motivation & Management - One student was easily upset and would blow up in anger quite easily. He would often run out of class or even out of the school. We worked with him to set up safe places where he could go to calm down (one in class, one in the library and the bench outside the Principal's office. All these safe places meant that he was able to remove himself and cool down and stay safe and on school property.
11. Best Practice - In language, students use a 4 square template to recount a story they are to write. It helps them have a good beginning, middle and end. They can also use pictures to help them as well.
12. Assessment & Recording - A class list was used to make a checklist of writing conventions that were followed. For examplea check for use of capital letters, answer in a complete sentence, use of proper punctuation(periods, commas, question marks, quotation marks etc.) If they were not doing these things an X was placed in that column and remediation could happen.
13. Motivation & Management - A chart was used for each group. Whenever they were doing and of the desired behaviours (quickly getting ready, quietly working, etc. The group received a sticker. At the end of the month the group with most stickers was given a reward (free time , additional computer time, indoor games box etc.)
14. Motivation & Management - working closely with the EA to help an Autistic child we planned and worked together to help plan and deliver accommodated or modified work for him.

Junior Grade Ideas

1. Motivation & Management - a. Use a countdown (from 5 to 1) to get students to quiet down. WAIT for total silence before speaking; thank those who are ready; if a few are not say, "I can wait, but so will you at recess". Also "Arm's length voices" means that when you are talking you need to speak so their voice only goes as far as their arm's length. Sometimes (like in the library we used a short arm so it was even quieter.
2. Assessment - In the first days of school Schools Boards are having teacher measure the reading ability of their students using such tools as CASI, (PM Benchmarks for primary). These tools help teachers know the reading and writing comp abilities right from the start of the year.
3. Management - The best thing is to get to know your students a well as you can. You will then learn what works for them and can use a variety of techniques that are custom made for your students.
4. Best Practice - Math class called "I Have" math facts game. I prepared a set of 35 cue cards with different math fact on them For example, 1 card says "I have 15, who has that divided by 3?" and then the person that had the answer would read their card..."I have 5, who has that times 9?" I would hand them out every morning. It was the first thing we did each a.m. I recorded how long it took to do the set and we tried to beat out time from the previous day. We even challenged other classes in the school. We also did it at our Parents Math nite. It was a lot of fun.
5. Motivation & Management - "HERB" Chart HERB stands Homework, Effort, Respect, and Behaviour. There is a recording chart in the class with book pockets (one for each student, numbered so as not to advertise who is who on the chart.) Each pocket has a green, yellow, red and pink piece of paper in it. If they are doing one of the HERB behaviours they can go up a colour. If they are not doing the behaviour they can go down a colour. They start the day at green and can go up to pink or down to yellow or even to red. At the end of the day they get a point for green or pink, if at yellow or red they get zero. At the end of the week or month there is a HERB party. All those who have attained the prescribed points can attend (we had a volleyball game, a movie etc.) Student became aware of their behaviour a tried to get their colour changed back to green if they slipped up.
6. Best Practice - We created a large scale medieval village for our Social Studies Unit. They used sticks , clay, artificial trees, Leggo for the castle etc. All very interactive and it also included Language Arts, Visual Arts, Math (geometry) as well as Social Studies. They also had fun. It was presented on OCT. 30th at a Medieval Fest. GREAT.
7. Motivation - This is usable in every grade. POWER WORK LESSON or DAY. Explain that this means that they must work extra hard today, stay on task and get lots of work done. Should not be over used but if done well will motivate the class to really get to it.
8. Behaviour - Give choices. If students are not listening or acting silly, give them two or three choices. All need to be related to school work and should be acceptable to the teacher. For example say" You can do your work quietly at your desk or you can choose to work over in the corner by yourself. Which do you choose.?" If they say "I don't want to do my work, now." You can say "That is not one of the choices." I can give you a third choice, you will need to do it at recess, (or during gym or some other favourite time) and we'll need to talk to our Principal (or a note home) about it. This usually gets them going again.
9. Motivation - SCAMO board (Stands for Sharing and Caring about Myself and Others.) There is a large class grid with 40 up to 100 squares on it. Every time a student does something positive, (like helping to clean up a mess, helping with work, to sitting quietly, whatever) a stamp is placed on the chart. This is a total class activity. When we reach the goal (40 up to a hundred squares stamped) we have a class reward. Not only are student proud of themselves they encourage each other to act appropriately as well. The secret is to recognize this often and regularly. It will motivate the students for sure.